You know that and I know that, what Jim Cumbes comes out with is another matter entirely, however.

Good to see the ECB significantly weakening county sides for the current round of fixtures by taking players for the Lions against a collection of club standard cricketers masquerading as Sri Lanka A.

Yorkshire have lost two of their top five from the batting line-up for the game against Hampshire in Root and Bairstow.

I can see the point of the Lions during the winter giving young players experience of tours and different conditions, but is there any need for them to play games during the domestic season?

Likewise Surrey are missing Dernbach & Meaker from the pace attack, as well as Tremlett, though fortunately we've only got one CB40 match this week.

It would have made more sense for one of the counties with no fixture to play Sri Lanka A. I guess it's a political / diplomatic thing that a touring side is granted a fixture against a representative national team.

Looking at the scorecard from Southampton it seems the ECB have done Yorkshire a favour by effectively picking their top order for them!

To be fair, it is only Hampshire. Even Anthony McGrath (without a 50 in any form of cricket all season) has managed to bag himself a century.

Yorkshire 418-4 just after lunch. Scoring rate has been pretty mediocre, but Hampshire bowled two spinners for most of yesterday so got 105 overs in

I was forgetting about the quality (or otherwise) of the opposition 532 all out from 171.2 overs, with Hants two main spinners bowling 51 & 49.2 overs respectively. I guess it's more important for Yorks to make sure Hants don't close the gap in the table, and that won't happen now unless Hants can somehow score 650+ and the pitch completely disintegrates on the final day. There must be a fair chance Yorks can force the follow on and a win from here.

Saj bowled the worst ball I've ever seen in person yesterday. Absolutely ing dreadful.

Very frustrating day. The weather, over-cautious umpiring, not declaring straight away, two plumb LBW shouts turned down, three Chinese cuts missing the stumps by inches... Pretty gutting result, in the end. Still, onwards and upwards.

Looks like a fascinating four way fight for the Championship now. Somerset suddenly right in the mix after three wins on the spin.

If teams are penalised for producing pitches that favour the bowlers to an exceptional degree, should they also be penalised for producing pitches which prevent a fair contest by having all the life and pace of a veterans 100m race?

Well, bar Sussex getting 28 from one over, Lancashire are in the T20 finals day...not bad

Personally I'd say yes. I guess the theory is that counties have an ulterior motive to prepare "result" pitches because even if they lose as many as they win over a season they'll still be at an advantage over counties who have a number of draws. Notts seemed to win at least one Championship during the eighties by doing this.

There is less incentive to deliberately prepare pitches unlikely to produce a result unless it's this stage of the season or later and you're at home to a side just below you in a prmotionor relegation battle, which makes the pitch Hants prepared for the visit of Yorks all the more bewildering as it was really a "must win" game for the home side.

Personally I'd say a points penalty should only be imposed if a pitch produces dangerous uneven bounce, which sounds to have been the case when Warks were recently docked points, but not when Hants were.

This season Surrey have persistently prepared green, seam-friendly pitches, but they've been good pitches with even bounce, and the matches have gone the distance and produced some exciting finishes.

Can't add anything other than to say I agree completely.

I can't believe that Hampshire have only set Durham 276 to knock off today!

On a day 2 pitch as well more or less. Absolutely outrageous stuff.

Set 276 off 82.

253 from 72 still required (3.5 ish), or on the postive side, 9 more wickets and they don't even pick up the points for a draw!

We can't rely on rain so just hope the pitch is as dead as a Dodo.

I wonder if Hants will be as generous in their up coming games with Lancashire?

Here's hoping we a) beat them in the T20 final and then b) send the southern c+nts down!! Make Dominic Cork cry again!

Worcestershire look well set for a win against Sussex, that lands Yorkshire right in it.

Then again, you may love 'em yet!

29 overs left - 3 wickets needed / 88 runs for Durham to snatch a win!

Still in the balance - Sussex need 69 (3 wickets left)

Its better than watching England this!

Durham and Sussex both lose. Bad day all round in domestic cricket!

Absolutely huge game for Lancashire starting today. If we can beat Worcestershire and beat them well, then we're in a bloody good position going into the last three games, especially with the first of them being away at Worcestershire.

So we'll probably bat and be 5 down by the end of the first session.

Decent start for Yorkshire after losing the toss and being asked to bowl against Sussex.

Three early wickets for Sideshow Bob, but a recovery since then to 73-3.

Interestingly no Ajmal Shahzad for Yorkshire - Ashraf and Patterson both playing. Injured or finally paying the price for a pretty miserable year form wise?

Well I wasn't bloody far off.

Lancs tearing Worcs to shreds....Probably be following on by the close....

Not quite. But a lead of just under 250 going into the third day will do for me.